Airport Mesa Sunset Viewpoint, the Airport Loop Trail & 4x4 Pink Jeep Tours (Broken Arrow)

Rising right in the middle of town between Uptown and West Sedona is a flat-topped volcanic-capped plateau at 1,472 metres (4,830 feet) elevation: Airport Mesa (Table Top Mountain). Because the top of the mesa sits 150 metres above the valley floor with no trees blocking the horizon, it is the premier sunset viewpoint in Sedona.

1. How to Visit Airport Mesa for Sunset (Skip the Tiny 9-Car Vortex Car Park)

Turn south off Highway 89A in West Sedona onto Airport Road and use this parking strategy:

• The Tiny 9-Car Airport Saddle / Vortex Trailhead Car Park (Halfway Up the Hill): holds only nine cars and fills up hours before sunset, so do not wait in the road when it is full.
• Keep Driving 800 Metres to the Top of the Hill: The Sedona Airport Scenic Overlook Car Park: at the top of the mesa next to the regional airport runway and Mesa Grill is a spacious paved car park carrying a small per-vehicle fee. Walk 50 metres to the western fence for a sunset panorama over Coffee Pot Rock, Chimney Rock and Thunder Mountain, or walk 10 minutes (800m) down the rocky path to the Airport Mesa Vortex knoll looking east at Bell Rock. For a two-hour morning hike, walk the 5.1-kilometre Airport Loop Trail around the mesa rim.

2. Booking a 4x4 Off-Road Jeep Tour: Why Broken Arrow Is the Top Route

When you see open-air pink, red and tan 4x4 Jeeps in Uptown Sedona, know that not all Jeep routes are equal. Many tours only drive graded gravel tracks like Dry Creek. For the true rock-crawling experience where the Jeep climbs over solid red sandstone domes and descends a 45-degree slickrock staircase ('The Road of No Return'), book the two-hour Broken Arrow Tour (operated exclusively by Pink Jeep Tours since 1960, or book the rugged climb up Schnebly Hill Road with Red Rock Western or Arizona Safari Jeep Tours), reaching Submarine Rock and Chicken Point Overlook.